The Hub House Diner @ Dulwich Hill

It has been more than a month since my last post due to the end of another uni semester, and exams, but I am now back in the blogging scene.  People are constantly looking for a place for a good burger, and Hub House Diner is one of  those places. It has a great diner vibe with bubbly wait staff and food for all times of the day. They are open Tuesday to Sunday for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner offering great food at affordable prices! I went with my sister and sister-in-law for dinner.

House Chargrilled beef burger

My sister-in-law ordered the burger that had the bacon. The burger may look smaller in the pictures, but there is more than meets the eye.

Half Chargrilled Basted Chicken - Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce

You can choose between a lemon chilli, or hickory smoked BBQ sauce. The half chicken serving was the largest half chicken serving I have ever seen. Apart from the serving size, there was a generous amount of coleslaw and fries too. The coleslaw wasn't extremely creamy, which allowed for a light side. The hickory sauce is smokey and slightly sticky. It was finger-licking goodness.

Hub Beef Cheese Burger

I thought I would start with the basics which is a cheeseburger with the standard trimmings of cheese, onion, gherkin, mustard and tomato sauce.  It may be simple in nature, but a fantastic burger! I found the burgers clean to eat without sacrificing any droppings. All the burgers come with a side of fries, which are crunchy and have a chicken salt that is slightly lemony.

 

Deconstructed pumpkin pie

The desserts became a must when we started seeing other people get desserts and how tasty they looked. Our favourite was the deconstructed pumpkin pie. It had elements of a sweet pumpkin mousse, meringue, honeycomb, cream and pistachio soil. The pumpkin mousse was amazing! The flavour was strong, and sweet but not overpowering. The honeycomb and pistachio soil added crunch against the cloud like meringue. I feel that this is a must order!

Eton Mess

Eton mess was great as well. It has meringue, macerated fruit, whipped cream, lemon curd, raspberry coulis, pistachio soil and topped with a honeycomb marshmallow. It is a dessert calling summer with the bright colours and flavours. The meringue crunch cut through the soft ingredients. The honeycomb marshmallow was delicious. The dessert became too sweet (never thought I would say that) over time, which made is slightly sickening. However, we still finished it! 

Love the quote on the takeaway box

Hub House Diner is a great place for dinner, and I definitely want to check it out during breakfast and lunch. The serving sizes are generous, where none of use actually finished our fries, and we all love fries! The service is fantastic, and the food was great. All mains are under $30 (with burger and fries less than $20), and desserts under $15. 

Good food, good times!

Coffee Warehouse Cafe & Deli @ Homebush

My brother loves pizza, probably one of his favourite food. So, for his birthday he organised a dinner at Coffee Warehouse Cafe and Deli. Coffee Warehouse Cafe & Deli is located along the busy Paramatta road amongst a bunch of car manufacturers. The name of the restaurant is quite a handful, and I am not sure if I can really refer to it as a restaurant. By day it works as a place for coffee and cafe style food, and at night as a pizzeria. The warehouse element of the 'restaurant' is that they sell a range of coffee machines, coffee beans and other interesting European biscuits and sauces. (Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos of the interior).

Meatlovers

Ham, cabanossi, pepperoni, bacon, bbq sauce

Mexicana

Pepperoni, onion, capsicum, olives, chilli, jalapenos

Ham & Pineapple

Smoked ham, pineapple

Polenta Chips

Homemade polenta chips with rich napoletana sauce and parmesan

Roasted rosemary tomatoes

Rocket and parmesan salad

Caoricciosa

Smoked ham, mushrooms, olives

Prosciutto

Prosciutto, mascarpone, olives, rocket, extra virgin olive oil 

PATATE

Pizza Bianca - sliced potato, prosciutto, rocket

Digging in! 

All the food was exceptional! Despite some of the photos making the pizzas looks oily, they aren't that greasy. The pizzas aren't overcrowded with too many toppings, which allows all the individual elements to come through. The dough itself allows for a crisp crust and base. I definitely recommend ordering sides helped break through all the pizza goodness. Possibly the best Italian Pizzeria I have been to! 

On top of my brother loving pizza, he loves cakes with mousse in it. So I went to Cavallaros in Liverpool to purchase one of their popular cakes - Nocciola. It is composed of hazelnut daquoise, milk chocolate mousse with praline, and there are also little circle crisps through out the mousse.

Happy Birthday!!

The dinner was for 12 people, and in between us we ordered 8 pizzas (I think) and a whole bunch of sides to share amongst the entire table. We were all completely stuffed by the end of the meal. It is a great place to celebrate a birthday. However, they do charge a cake fee of $2.50 per person. 

Good food, good times!

Excelsior Jones @ Ashfield

A friend of mine has been telling me to try Excelsior Jones for months, and when they won Best Cafe in Time Out Food Award 2013, I figured it was about time I went. I personally, would have never thought such a cafe would exist in the suburb known for their dumplings. Therefore, as a brunch date, we headed to Ashfield to check out Excelsior Jones.

Excelsior Jones is located on quite a strange intersection, where apart from the cafe itself, there are homes and a few mechanics. But, never judge a book by its cover right? Upon walking in, there was a great smell of coffee and pancakes! The pancake smell was extremely deceiving considering there wasn't a pancake item on the menu.

Pretty Mocha

Berry almond tart

After smelling the pancakes, and not seeing them in sight I thought we would need a sweet hit. I went to the cabinet, and from the several pastries such as friands and cupcakes I chose the deliciously looking berry almond tart. My partner ordered a cappuccino while I ordered a mocha for myself, and accompanied with the tart was a great way to start the day.

Poached eggs with toast, relish, feta and sauteed mushrooms

We both ordered the same dish of poached eggs with toast, however chose different sides. Excelsior Jones allows you to choose from a range of sides such as; bacon, relish, mushrooms, feta, relish, avocado. I ended up with the relish, feta and mushrooms and my partner chose a nice and simple side of avocado. The relish was amazing and when added with the feta, a great balance of sweet, salty and tangy flavours. There is not any other way of having mushrooms for breakfast than with a lovely butter based sauce. Of course, the best part of a breakfast are perfectly poached eggs!

Overall, Excelsior Jones was a great place for breakfast. The staff are friendly, where a staff member saw my partners film camera and had an in-depth talk about photography and cameras for a good 10 minutes. I definitely want to go again and try their lunch menu.

Good food, good times!

Metro St James @ St James

A day out with a friend, always calls for a good meal to be involved. We then decided to hit up Metro St James. Metro St James has been open since March this year, and has been getting a great level of business. There most recent enterprise was pay with a kiss. The idea is to pay with a kiss, meaning you get your coffee for free if you are at the counter and kiss your partner. I didn't part take in this, however a lot of people did and it had a lot of buzz on radio and other social media websites.

Big Healthy Breakfast

Poached free range eggs, hot salmon, avocado, roasted tomatoes & ricotta on soy quinoa toast

A lovely big hearty and healthy plate of food. All the colours that you want to see when eating breakfast, with fresh flavours. A great start for anyone's day!

House made baked beans, poached eggs and feta w/ side of toast

My choice for breakfast. I wanted to try the baked beans, to see how they compared to The Grounds of Alexandria. They are more tomatoey than the grounds, but just as good. The addition of the feta adds a lovely saltiness to the dish. Eating baked beans on toast was a very fulfilling breakfast.

Metro St James is a great place to start your day in the big city. 

Good food, good times!

Manly Eats: Hemingway's and Adriano Zumbo

My friends love book cafes, and one has a goal to go to all the Sydney book cafes. Therefore, as a group we went to Hemingway's for lunch. Heminway's is located on the main road along the Beach. It has a bar, and an upstairs for more people to dine and enjoy some nice drinks.

Gin...I mean water

All the table water is served in Hendrick's Gin bottles! 

Kids these days won't know what an encyclopaedia is.

Creaming Soda

vodka, chambord, lemonade, cherry bitters, wild berry foam

Fried chicken with corn bread, potato salad and tomato sauce

The fried chicken was cooked through, but isn't the type of fried chicken I was expecting. There was a strong dill taste in the potato salad, even when combined with other components. The tomato sauce was a load of tomatoey goodness, but I feel that it didn't work well with the chicken. It went great with the corn bread, and when I see corn bread I always think of the movie The Green Mile. 

 Home made gnocchi with king prawns, garlic, chilli and prawn emulsion

This was a lovely dish, just not enough of it. The use of garlic and chilli added the extra hit, without being overpowering. 

Roast pumpkin salad with rocket, goats curd, seeds and grains

This was the most simple of the dishes, and the tastiest. A pumpkin based salad is always a hit, and this definitely was. The goats curd was soft like yoghurt, which added that extra bit of freshness.

Now, a visit to Manly means dessert at Adriano Zumbo. So we grabbed some treats and headed to the bay to sit and enjoy our delights!

Zumbarons!

Berry Brioche

lip # smack ! whack
cream cheese mousse, biscuit cuillere, olive oil mousse, mixed berry compote, cheesecake base, white chocolate, seasonal berries

Hemingway's was a bit of a hit and miss with our dishes. It was also quite a trek for people from South West Sydney. However, their current breakfast and dinner menu sound delicious. Adriano Zumbo, never disappoints.

Good food, good times!

Foveaux @ Surry Hills

A special occasion always calls for a special dining experience. Therefore, to celebrate a one year anniversary (p.s. not marriage) my partner and I went to Foveaux. Foveaux is a one hatted chef restaurant, and becoming increasingly popular. The restaurant only seats 45 people, which allows or an intimate dining experience. We went for the the tasting menu and vegetarian (v) tasting menu.

The best part of the dining experience was the chef, Darrell Felstead. When I made the booking, I noted my partners dietary requirements, which  didn't end up get passed on to the kitchen. Therefore, on the night, the waiter had only just told the kitchen about the requirements. In some cases (such as Quay) the communication of these requirements are through the wait staff. 

However, at Foveaux, the Chef actually came to the table and discussed the requirements and went through the tasting menu of what could/couldn't be eaten. He was able to cater to most things by changing the sauces, where in one case he had to create a new dish. Definitely a great way to start the night!

Hommus soup

A strange start to the night. It was slightly sour, and reminded of some store bought chicken salt, but liquified.

...don't remember what this was (v)

Seared bonito, black sesame, mushroom milk, puffed rice with 

pickled vegetables and elk

A wonderful refreshing dish with great components. The mushroom milk was not like anything I have ever tried. It was foamy, yet had a solid nature to it. It accompanied the fish very well, and the puff rice added a subtle crunch to it all.

,

Red pepper nachos, sour cream ice cream, sweet corn, avocado, tomato and black sesame sauce (v)

This was a great start on the vegetarian side of things. With my little sample, there were a lot of great flavours. The sour cream ice cream wasn't heavy, and made the nachos a light dish compared to other nacho dishes which are on the heavier side of life.

Smoked duck, cuttlefish, duck cheese

I am always a yes for eating duck when shown on a menu. All the condiments of the dish were things I had never tried before. The cuttlefish was a great addition, however the duck cheese is what was good. It was soft, creamy and had a lovely cheese taste.

Poached egg, raisin, ciabatta, roquetfort, with a salad of walnut, endive, apple & celery (v)

Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of the perfectly poached egg. It was a nice dish with clean flavours. All the flavours could be used in a great salad!

Golden trevally, prawn braised leeks, fondant potatoes, kohlrabi puree and white wine reduction

I find that when ordering fish, it is never a stand out dish. In this case, it had a great crispy skin with a well cooked fish. However, it is the best fish dish I have tried to date. 

Roast broccoli, snowpea, watercress, umeboshi (v)

This was the dish that the kitchen had to create, as what was originally on the menu couldn't be eaten by my partner. It was a great concoction of flavours produced by the kitchen. All the broccoli and snow peas obtained all their bite.

Roasted venison leg, mushroom puree, juniper oil, spaetzle, pickled red cabbage 

This was my least favourite of the dishes. The pickled cabbage overpowered the taste of the venison. The mushroom puree has a bit grainy, and I found it didn't accompany the venison well. However, the roasted venison was cooked great, and the nuttiness of the walnuts was a lovely touch.

Chickpea cavetelli, beetroot, asaparagus, white mushroom and roquette (v)

It looks like a fruit tree on a plate. The cavetelli had a lovely creamy sauce. All the accompanying vegetables were delicate and the beetroot powder added an interesting texture.

Braised quince, rhubarb sorbet, apple crumble and custard

I love the concept of pre-dessert to cleanse the palate. The sweetness of the custard, and tartness of the rhubarb sorbet was amazing! The bits of crumble added crunch. A great fruity pre-dessert that enticed the palate for the real dessert.

Chestnut gelato, chocolate, coffee cloud, pear and ginger

A delicious dessert. The coffee cloud was the best part. I loved its aerated nature and is what I think a cloud would taste like (if all clouds were made of coffee). Though, overtime the coffee became overwhelming which was assisted by the chestnut gelato and dollops of chocolate.

Tamarillo doughnuts, orange miso custard, brazil nut praline, white chocolate and coffee gelato (v)

Another great dessert, that was very different to mine. It had more of a citrus taste. It would have even better if more than one doughnut was provided. The doughnut itself was nice and fluffy with a tamarillo filling.

Gifts (Kobo Aura & Engraved iPod Touch 5)

Foveaux was an exceptional dining experience, with great service and the Chef is definitely able to cater for any dietary requirements. A shout out to the Chef Darrell Felstead who was able to cater for the last minute changes.

Good food, good times!

The Devonshire @ Surry Hills

The last of my 21st birthday celebrations! It was a long time for all the celebrations, but they have now come to an end. The Devonshire was where it ended. The Devonshire is a modern Europen restaurant, with a dark interior design with lovely mirror fixtures along the walls. The simplicity in the design provides an elegance to the restaurant. Furthermore, The Devonshire is a 1 chef hatted restaurant. Due to one of my wonderful birthday gifts of a Sydney Entertainment book, we were able to dine for the degustation menu at a great price of $60 per person.

Bread with normal butter and honey infused butter

The honey butter was delicious, with the buttery texture, and the slight hint of sweetness from the honey. It was my first time trying honey butter, and something that would be good to get my hands on.

Salt fish brandade with caper sauce

A little package of fried mash potato. It reminded me of the KFC potato ball things. I couldn't quite taste the fish, however the caper sauce was tangy which complimented the potato well.

Chargrilled haloumi, woodside goat curd mousse, crushed peas, toasted seeds, nuts and dried olives

Their wasn't enough chargrilled haloumi, for it to be the key component of the dish. A highlight was the goat curd mousse, that was nice and fluffy. The nuts added the crunchy component. The dried olives provided the saltiness to the dish.

Crumbed short rib of beef, pickled ox tongue, enoki mushroom, red onion and fried capers

This was my least favourite of the dishes due to the conflicting tastes and textures. The flavour of the beef was lost due to the crumb. The pickled nature of the red onion and ox tongue just didn't work for me. However, I did enjoy all the enoki mushrooms and the sauces. 

Blue swimmer crab and scallop raviolo, salt & pepper calamari, parsley, lemon and ink dressing

A perfectly crooked raviolo with a delicious seafood filling. The salt and pepper calamari reminded me of crispy pig ears, no real taste, but a load of crunch. I still don't know how I feel about ink sauces/dressings. I find it plain, yet slighly salty. Not really sure on how it is supposed to be.

Pan seared Ora King Salmon, prawn & basil spring roll, macadamia, orange and chive dressing

The salmon was great, where the sweetness of the orange and chive sauce wasn't overpowering. The spring roll is definitely not what you expect a spring roll to look like. The prawn taste didn't come through, it was quite oily. 

Roast pork loin, crisp pearl barley & chorizo risotto, celeriac, sage & apple jellies

This was my favourite of all the savoury dishes. A very generous serving of pork loin, with a great balance between salt, crunch, and sweetness. It was a fantastic way to end all the savouries and prepare for the desserts!

Flavours of apple pie

A winter fruit pre dessert to cleanse the palate. It was a deconstructed apple pie with vanilla ice cream. The apples were done as whole pieces and caramelised. The light crumb added the crunch against the apples and ice cream. The piece of pastry helped break through all the flavours.

Warm chocolate fondant, shredded coconut & brownie praline, coconut milk sorbet

The best part of most dining experiences - dessert. The fondant was slightly overcooked where the centre didn't ooze out as it should. Despite that slight hiccup, it was a delicious way to end the meal. We all demolished the dessert with ease.

Bill presented in a tea cup

The overall service was great. However, their display of food was inconsistent, where everyone's dish looked very different. In terms of dishes, there were only 1-2 stand outs, and everything else was okay.

The Girls

Good food, good times!